Houston Texans
2019 Record: (10-6) 1st
AFC South
2019 Season Recap:
Offense
Points: 23.6 (14th)
Yards: 362.0 (13th)
Pass Yards: 236.4 (15th)
Rush Yards: 125.6 (9th)
Defense
Points: 24.1 (19th)
Yards: 388.3 (28th)
Pass Yards: 267.2 (29th)
Rush Yards: 121.1 (25th)
At this point, the Houston Texans are something of an enigma in
our eyes. A team filled with super star talent and subsequently holding a good
level of inadequacy – its very difficult to place an appropriate grade overall.
Led by the great play of their quarterback Deshaun Watson, he has
many weapons offensively to get the job done. Finding their way to win the AFC
South once again, the season was filled with ups and downs with many fans
calling for Coach Bill O’Brien’s job. O’Brien has seen both levels of high
productivity and drastically low execution which creates the notion he isn’t
the man to take this club to the next level. Even as this Texan club went to
the postseason and witnessed the next phase in their progression – learning
steps again were seen.
Jumping ahead to what transpired in the postseason, Houston
engineered a wonderful comeback against the Buffalo Bills reeling back from 16-points
down to be victorious and moving onto the Chiefs. Riding high entering the
divisional round at arrowhead stadium, the Texans leaped out to a massive
24-point lead and were well on their way to reaching the AFC Championship
contest. With that, a chain of events transpired which saw Patrick Mahomes claw
his way back in scoring 28-points in the second quarter ultimately dropping the
Texans 51-31.
Poor coaching and missed opportunities could be attributed in this
contest which led to their demise. And while Houston’s season could be seen as
a success, one does wonder if they will ever make it over the top and be that
consistent force. Another off-season of questions will arise and we truly wonder
if the answers will be met.
2020 Offseason
WorkBook:
The Offense
Starting with the most important
position, Deshaun Watson to us is a true elite level play-maker that will only
continue to get better. Hovering around similar stats from his past two years,
some feel this level is what we should expect for the long haul. We aren’t in
that category and truly believe that if greater attention is given to the
offensive line while adding a true elite level running back – Watson will leap
into the next stratosphere of statistical performances. Adding to that, Watson
has proven to have ice in his veins in the most important times of a contest.
His ability to rise up and produce while leading his team to victory is an
un-coachable trait. From this perspective, Houston is in great hands with this
passer.
Looking down the line at the running
back position, patch made solutions were installed this past season after Lamar
Miller went down with a season ending injury before the year began. Trading for
Duke Johnson and Carlos Hyde – the tandem did look good while racking up solid
numbers, but for our appetite, having a true three down back is absolutely the
answer to their issues in this room. Melvin Gordon could be the appropriate
solution but we wonder if the Texans want to throw big dollars to a runner with
injury concerns of his own. We should see Houston add a back via the draft as
this class appears to have very sound talent. How good would JK Dobbins look in
a Texan uniform – think about that.
Moving right along to dissect the wide
receivers this club has on the roster; we can’t begin without preaching the
great DeAndre Hopkins. Showing once again that he is the cream of the crop, we
still struggle in how this front office can’t provide consistent supportive
pieces to help round out this unit. Granted, we do like Will Fuller a great
deal, but his inability to stay away from the medical room is a massive
problem. When Fuller is on the field this offense is clearly much better and
much more explosive. However, waiting for Fuller to play a full season isn’t
something we’ll hold our breath for.
Adding to that, trading for Kenny Stills
from the Dolphins was a head-scratcher in our eyes as he is above average at
best with deep threat ability. Giving up heavy draft pick compensation was a
huge mistake and one that will be felt come the future. As for the potential of
Keke Coutee, it appears this was another miss for consistency and reliability –
and the jury remains out on what he’ll become.
As a whole, this offense could be
spectacular if all its members could remain on the field for majority of the
year. Imagine what could be accomplished with additional support on the
offensive line, a true elite level running back, and a receiver room (which has
good amounts of talent) that can’t remain healthy. We should see a very active
off-season in additions from Houston in 2020 as they look to take another step, in
hopes to reach the super bowl.
The Defense
From the defensive side of things when
reviewing what the Texans are – much of the same can be seen as from seasons
past. Losing their star and team leader (JJ Watt) for half the season was a
massive blow to the group. However, similar dysfunctions appeared prevalent
ranking this unit among the bottom feeders in league rankings.
Starting with the defensive front –
moving on from Jadeveon Clowney was the first anvil to hit the ground in 2019.
Realizing they wouldn’t entertain paying the big dollars he would covet, a
trade with the Seahawks was the appropriate outcome. Moving forward with Watt and
DJ Reader, there was more than enough to keep up with the opposition until Watt
was lost to injury. Adding more depth on this crew is definitely needed as the
concerns for Watt’s health shouldn’t be taken for granted as he ages.
Moving to the meat and potatoes of this
defensive group – the line backing core is one we truly gush over whenever we
review. Led by the fabulous talents of Whitney Mercilus, Zach Cunningham, and
Benardrick McKinney it’s no question they are the engine which drives this
ship. Having Mercilus as the additional pass rusher, McKinney and Cunningham
remain responsible for clogging up the middle while adding support. Having
these three locked up and ready to return for another campaign, it’s no wonder
Clowney was expendable.
While we have many positives to say in
regards to the line backers, we can’t provide the same endorsement to the
secondary which continues to be a hot mess. Johnathan Joseph has far past his
expiration date and resembles nothing of the player he once was. Trying to add
something tangible to this group – the free agent addition of Bradley Roby
appears to be an experiment gone completely sideways. With that, claiming
Vernon Hargreaves from the Buccaneers did show signs of improvement, but wasn’t
enough to propel them to greener pastures. With Justin Reid being the only
youthful credible piece locked up on this unit, we fully expect a keen focus to
the defensive backs this off-season.
With how this entire unit was
constructed and the misfortune of injuries – defensive coordinator Romeo
Crennel has been relieved of his duties with the club. Perhaps a new outlook on
the defense will expel more while adding appropriate pieces to be the answer we
are all looking for.
Team Free Agents / Team Salary Cap
The most encouraging aspect heading into
the off-season rests with the sheer amount of money Houston has to play with.
Currently sitting with a whopping 62.9 million in free cap space – the Texans
can move in multiple directions to help retool this roster. With that sound
amount of money on the books, 20 team free agents aren’t a dire task to
evaluate and potentially resign.
Right off the bat, players that should
warrant interest should include; DJ Reader, Vernon Hargreaves, Carlos Hyde and
potentially a reunion with Bradley Roby is in the cards. Reader to us is the
most important piece but will cost a lot to bring back to the mix. His current
market value rests around 12 million per season on what should be a five or six
year pact. He is a very important player for that defensive line and we truly
would be surprised to see Houston move on from him.
Hargreaves is another interesting player
in our eyes as he has looked like a massive first round bust so far in the NFL.
Change of scenery typically promotes better performance, especially from a
talent like Hargreaves. If a dollar figure could be reasonable for both to
contend with, we should see the Texans take a shot and resign him to a short
prove it contract.
When is comes to securing more funds to
the books, Houston finds themselves in an advantageous position for next off-season
with expiring contracts littered all over the books. While we could suggest
many opportunities to move on from players this off-season – it would be
counterproductive given that they could compete at a very high level once again
in 2020.
The NFL Draft
As we stand today, the Texans hold eight
selections in the 2020 NFL draft with an extra fourth and two extra seventh
rounders on their board. And though this would appear to bring good fortune to
help add weapons to the club, Houston gave away this years first in a trade
last season. Having no first round or sixth round picks is how their board
appears today.
With their current draft pick
ammunition, Houston will be forced to hit on players after the first round
which could include an answer to having a franchise running back. While defense
appears to be the way in which this team should go – we could see the majority
of their selections used to help revamp the secondary and add depth to the
defensive line.
This draft may not be overly exciting on
day one in prime time, but those eight picks should bring this Texans club to a
better place when all is said and done.
Comments
Post a Comment